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Khodorkovsky ends hunger strike

Jailed ex-oil tycoon's protest was prompted by extension of his detention before a new trial.

20 May 2010 03:52 GMT

Khodorkovsky went on hunger strike in protest against an order extending his detention [EPA]

"Now that it has been officially announced that Medvedev has been informed about the crux of the problem, I don't consider it necessary to insist on the form of discussion" within the government, Khodorkovsky said.

"The aim of my appeal has been achieved. I have ended my hunger strike," he said on his legal team's website.

Medvedev 'familiar'

Natalya Timakova, spokeswoman for Medvedev, said he was "familiar" with Khodorkovsky's May 17 open letter to the head of the supreme court.

Khodorkovsky, 46, is already serving an eight-year sentence for tax evasion and fraud in a case that he claimed was politically motivated by his opposition to then-president Vladimir Putin.